2006 - 2007

Feb.24 2007

Harry Gairey official opening celebration today, 11am to 2pm. Bright sunshine but cold. Hockey in the neighbourhood program on the shinny side. The pleasure skating side was decorated with red, white, and blue bunting that's still available from John Innis Rec Centre. The wood oven was on and staff were making mini-pizzas. There was a sound system with music and there was also a large lion walking around. Councillor Adam Vaughan was playing hockey with his kid, and he stopped to hug the lion, but then he had to carry on to the next festival -- for Chinese New Year.

There was a printout about Harry Gairey, who came from Jamaica via Cuba, and was a train porter in Canada. He helped to organize the porters' union, and he also worked to change discriminatory immigration laws against people from the Caribbean. In 1947, his son (also named Harry) was refused entry to the Icelandia Skating Arena and Gairey made a deputation to City Council:

Feb.22 2007

heavy, wet snow in the morning. At 2.45 the Olympia was taking the snow off, but very slowly. The zamboni driver had to drive it off and wash out the augur with hot water. Jim Craik the foreperson says that Olympias are very annoying as snow removal machines because when they slow down their speed, their augur also slows down. "But of course they're not designed for snow removal." It would be nice if somebody did adapt the design to what the City needs for its outdoor rinks.

Feb.21 2007

Bright sun and plus 4 celsius. At 2.45, the zamboni foreman set out the pylons because the ice on the north side of against the hockey boards was close to cement. Rink stayed open the rest of the day, but with deep gouges.

Feb.4 2007

Minus 16 celsius. The coldest day of the year so far. That would have been a miserable opening celebration! So it's lucky that the campfire crisis blew up and postponed the party.

Jan.26 2007

Collaboration on opening celebration cancelled, since campfire permission has been withdrawn.

Jan.18 2007, letter from Dufferin Rink staff Mayssan Shuja to all concerned with the Harry Gairey Rink re-opening party

Jan.18, 2007, letter from Jutta Mason to City Recreation supervisor David Hains

Jan.17 2007

Compressors are on at the rink. Two of the contractors' workers say that the compressors have been on since last week and the rink could have opened last weekend. But there's lots of snow on it, with one lane of plowing.

Jan.8 2007 3.50 pm

Rink still under construction. Electrician working inside compressor room, some junk on the rink surface.

From Jutta Mason to Richard Sanger, Dec.23 2006

AboutUs-Photos:HarryGaireyDec306E.jpg | only rink opening sign - from last year

I think the timing is a bit too late here -- the work on both rinks has been very slow, and that's -- sadly -- because there was no "community nagging" at either rink (as far as I know) -- there were many days when no work was done at all. I see today that Harry Gairey finally has a cover over the header trench, but perhaps the electrical work is not done yet??

And the Cimco Company has to do a "drawdown of the refrigeration system....Depending on the temperature, the system can be brought down in 5 days at 3 degrees F a day, or 7 days at 2 degrees F a day. Then ice can be made."

It does seem that these facilities are orphaned in such a way that a project planned for years can still be arranged in such a way that it's not ready for the Christmas holidays. Sad.

From Richard Sanger to "rink issues," Dec.22 2006

When will Harry Gairey be open?

At the end of holidays?

Why not the start?

Does that mean the city will be working through the holidays to get it ready?

I don't understand. And it seems to be taking a long time.

From Parks supervisor Peter Leiss to Jutta Mason, Dec.4 2006

I will forward this to the appropriate individuals. I did receive your earlier email regarding Alexandra (Harry Gairey). I had asked that the fencing be addressed. I will check Wallace out and have the require adjustments made. Tino, Brian, and Michael could you make sure the contractors protect the sites?

AboutUs-Photos:HarryGaireyDec306A.jpg | 13-inch plastic mesh accessible from sidewalk

Jutta Mason to Parks supervisor Peter Leiss, Dec.3 2006:

I made my rounds of the rinks again today, to see which ones have ice, and how the construction is coming along. I found that both rink construction projects are now gapped and vulnerable to theft/vandalism and presumably, a danger to anyone who goes and snoops/plays/steals there.

My Sympatico service is a bit erratic at times and I'm wondering if you didn't get my "danger" warning about Harry Gairey last Wednesday, to pass along to the right supervisor. Certainly nothing has changed since then. The same kind of flimsy plastic mesh barrier is also wide open at Wallace, which I think is under your supervision?

I'm surprised: I thought you told me in the summer that you could be personally fined a lot of money if anyone fell into the composting toilet hole at Dufferin Grove Park, which was a lot smaller and less jagged than the header trench openings -- plus there's a lot of other stuff at these sites to trip and fall over. Did I misunderstand, that the City supervisor represents the property owner and therefore the buck stops with him/her?

AboutUs-Photos:HarryGaireyDec306B.jpg | concrete box hole to fall into

AboutUs-Photos:HarryGaireyDec306C.jpg | north end of header trench to fall into, equipment to steal

AboutUs-Photos:HarryGaireyDec306D.jpg | south end of header trench "protective fencing"

From Jutta Mason to Parks supervisor Peter Leiss, Nov.29 2006

Peter, knowing how worried you were in the summer about the bio-toilet site, I thought you might want to pass this information along: The construction site at Harry Gairey (Alexandra) Rink at Bathurst and Dundas is unprotected. Most of it only has a sagging plastic netting, squashed down to 12 inches in places. Everything inside is accessible including the long open header trench and the piles of construction materials (pricey-looking pipes etc.).

The header trench has a wooden railing on the south end but nothing on the north end. A giant concrete box recently installed near the plant is also only protected by the squashed netting and it still has some narrow, deep gaps around it (and maybe a hole on top?)

I don't know whose territory this is -- I guess it's Sandy's, but I think she's still away? Could you let the right person know?

Oct.8 2006

The rink demolition began in the the middle of September. This was one of the last direct-ammonia outdoor ice rinks in the city. That meant it worked very well but is considered a danger since the ammonia coolant was dispersed through all the pipes under the ice. The rink will now be replaced with a glycol cooling system.

On Oct.8, the header trench seemed to be almost finished.

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